Air wing back from war

Staff Sgt. Robert Wise takes a run down the firing range in June 2012 as high-explosive rockets are launched from a Huey helicopter in southwestern Afghanistan. NELVIN C. CEPEDA • U-T photos
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

Staff Sgt. Robert Wise takes a run down the firing range in June 2012 as high-explosive rockets are launched from a Huey helicopter in southwestern Afghanistan. NELVIN C. CEPEDA • U-T photos
— Nelvin C. Cepeda

Q: One should expect insurgents to attack the main strategic base in the region. At a minimum, shouldn’t we be able to protect our forces sleeping at night?

A: Yes, I agree with you. Force protection — everyone’s responsible for that. There are people in towers. There are people watching cameras. There are people prepared to respond in the event something were to happen.

But the enemy gets a vote. That attack had been planned for months. They trained to that specific event and then did the execution. And they had some assistance from locals outside the base that allowed them to probably have more access than they normally would have on their own.

Q: If the insurgents had attacked the living areas first instead of the aircraft, there would have been many more casualties. Did that keep you awake at night?

A: Absolutely. We made changes over there as well that would I think prevent that from happening. We were able to replace the aircraft (for combat operations, although the production line is closed). Human lives can’t be replaced. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t think... I was pulling a T-shirt out this morning, an Otis Raible shirt they made for him afterward. I think of both of those two (killed in action) and often ask myself, would I have had the moral courage, the physical courage to do what they did?